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By Chris Moore

Special to the News

After making it through a gauntlet of a district, the Memorial Titans are ready for playoff basketball. The Titans will take on Iowa Colony Tuesday with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Goose Creek Memorial High School.

Memorial finished second in District 19-5A behind Beaumont West Brook and ahead of Beaumont United and Barbers Hill, who also made the playoffs.

The Titans, who finished the season 25-9 (11-3 in district), had a pretty even distribution of points. The Titans two leading scorers, Kendall Hilstock and Davin Mercer averaged about 14 points per game. Memorial had four players average double-digit points. 

Cam Bryant, Amir Young and Geoff Morris were also among the senior class that helped elevate the Titans.  

Memorial peaked at the end of the season, ending with a six-game winning streak, a won eight out of their last nine games. 

“We finished the season on a strong note,” Head Coach Alden Lewis said. “We are getting hot at the right time, playing some consistent basketball heading into the playoffs. We had some ups and downs in the season, but the kids remained steady. Now, we are on the up. We are on the right path.”

Lewis said the team’s chemistry greatly improved over the year, with the team buying in and learning to trust each other and the process.

“They really started playing as a team,” he said. “We learned that if we play together, we can be really good. The second half of district, we turned that corner. We played some really good basketball.”

Teams in District 19 have produced three state championships in the past eight years, making it one of the more decorated and toughest districts in the state. Lewis said having to get through that grind should help out come playoff time. 

“There weren’t any easy games in our district, night in and night out,” he said. “We are accustomed to playing tough teams on a day-to-day basis. That is going to be the same for this first round matchup.”

Lewis said his team will have to bring their A-game against Iowa Colony, which is also a senior-heavy squad. 

“They have some guys that can hurt you if you leave them,” he said. “We are going to have to buckle down and focus. They are a really talented group. We are going to have to defend at a high level.”

Iowa Colony finished the year 23-11 (9-3 in district play).